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    Allen Theatre

    4.2 (10 reviews)

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    Festival of trees. Love this fireplace set.
    Arlene M.

    This review is limited to the festival of trees going on in both the lobby and atrium of this theater. During my visits to see shows at Playhouse Square I haven't really had anything that involved this theater. I do know howeve,r that they give preshow talks here depending upon the production. My husband and I had some time before we headed over to the Connor Palace theater to see "Chicago" so we looked here. I was overwhelmed by the contributions and some of the uniqueness that set these trees apart. There is a section I sat in for "Santa" who is only there for certain hours for a photo shoot and a "selfie" station where you can hold up a funny sign for pictures. In addition to grand tree in the atrium that had a gorgeous dome I was truly blown away when I saw a mermaid themed one, a kid's cartoon tree, one by the Rock n Roll Hall of fame. My favorite was the native gardens tree complete with real flowers. At the entrance of the theater stands a Menorah with presents to celebrate Hanukkah. A fitting touch indeed. This is a wonderful free attraction to take in during the holiday season. Hopefully someday I may be able to catch a show here or see the theater itself at another time on a tour.

    Alex H.

    Playhouse square is an absolute community treasure. The Allen is one of the smaller, more intimate theaters, and a great place to see a show. From the ornate lobby to beautiful ceiling detail, it is a visual delight. The acoustics are amazing. The performers don't need microphones. The 4 stars instead of 5 is because the theater sells and allows food and beverage in the theater, and many of the items are loud. At the last show I attended they were selling popcorn in crinkly bags and other noisy containers. It was hugely distracting. I think it's great that the theater is trying to appeal to a lower brow clientele (the type that munches on snacks during live productions) to expose more people to the theater, but they should only sell food in quiet packaging.

    Lobby
    Debra V.

    Very nice. Everyone has a good seat. Has an elevator in the auditorium. Refreshments can be purchased before the show. Parking garage is attached.

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    Review Highlights - Allen Theatre

    I visited the Allen for the first time this past week for the Cleveland International Film Festival and had a fantastic time.

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    Cleveland Play House

    Cleveland Play House

    4.3
    (9 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Jazz Hands If you're…read morelooking for a night of entertainment, look no further than CPH and visit this theatre. This place is the bees knees. We'll start off with the building and facilities.... All the theatres include exquisite architecture. From detailed lobbies, to unique art, they have it all here. Grooving through the Allen theater for the CPH performance of A Christmas Story, I was throughly impressed with the cast, sets, and audio quality. The show was full of energy and the cast executed the plot wonderfully. I hope all those cats make it big. The only negative to my experience was the two women who drinking wine in front of me. It was quite strong and stimulated my gag reflex during the show. One would get tipsy just by sitting in their section. And they kept purchasing the drinks from the concession stand. Maybe CPH should consider having an "Friends of Bill W" meeting room if they continue to serve alcohol. Speaking of the concessions, buyer beware, it's cashless. In addition, and most important, they still have the soft pretzels from my childhood . Bottles of water are expensive, so bring your own, or maybe just plan on being dehydrated. Regarding the comfort of the Allen Theatre, specifically the seats in Allen were much more comfortable than the nasty red tiny velour ones in the large Playhouse Palace Theatre. There's enough room in aisles to stretch your legs and not feel like you need a knee replacement, after sitting through a show. The Allen Theatre is the perfect sized theater, with great angles from all seats, not too small, or too big. Dancing back to the lobby, you will find some rather tacky white pleather sofas... similar to the pants you may have owned in the 70s. These sofas look clunky & out of place, and I feel these need to be removed immediately to preserve the old time feeling of the building and historic culture of the venue. I understand the importance of providing seating, but these don't match. Whoever approved these sofas, killed the vibe and is trying to eliminate a natural historic element of Cleveland. It's a disgrace to all architects and historians. But with great history, comes great responsibility, and if you review my photos, you'll note each photo is blurry, probably due to the theater ghosts. (Except the photo "Stinky Wine.") personally, I felt a positive theatre ghost presence, but wanted to set the scene. In the lobby, you'll also find various awards, which I'm not sure what they all are, or if they're real, but it's cool. Additionally, there was a family room, located near the Facenmeyer Lobby, but I'll be darned if I could find an entrance. But to be fair, I didn't want to see Uncle Joe or Aunt Millie so I didn't bother to look around too much. I also like to run in the other direction when children are near. Accessibility wise, Playhouse and CPH are great, with a plethora of elevators, ramps, rails, and seats, making the trek a little easier for folks. I didn't bring my tape measure to ensure all the ramps were 10' and 2' but the incline didn't seem as nuts as other ramps in town. Bathrooms are also plentiful, with vanities and stalls to ensure large intermission crowds. When I visited, it was Christmas season, thus everything was adorned with holly and most people were jolly. Redcoats are available to guide guests to their viewing throwns and ensure etiquette in the theatre. They were very kind and passionate for theater. Overall, great night out, but watch out for women obsessed with wine, theatre ghosts and ugly sofas.

    CPH has tons of free events and discounts to make theatre affordable. The $25 under 35 partnership…read morewith SCENE allows young people to see quality theatre at a fair price. If you want to see up and coming artists, I recommend checking out one of the MFA student shows! $15 ticket or $7.50 for students. These kids have crazy talent.

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    Pretzle
    Pretzle
    Lights, camera, action, ghosts!
    Lights, camera, action, ghosts!
    Lobby and ghost

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    Lobby and ghost
    State Theatre

    State Theatre

    4.3
    (4 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    This place makes any night magical. I love being downtown for whatever occasion, but there's…read moresomething about the state theatre that just warms the heart. The architecture is stunning and the red coat staff is always eager to please.

    The Keybank State theater is the first and largest of the Playhouse Square theaters constructed…read more Known for it's extremely long lobby you can see huge and beautiful murals on all 4 sides. The theater's history dates back to vaudeville where live stage shows were presented featuring long gone celebrities such as Abbott and Costello, Jack Benny, and Judy Garland. It later became a movie house before transforming into what it is today. Due to it's size it is able to present musical extravaganzas such as "Hamilton", and "Miss Saigon" which was the reason for my visit. My husband and I had great seats but they felt hard and we were cramped. Seems like they should have updated these as well. Before entering the theater you pick up your Playbill or whatever they call it here near the end of the lobby. Friendly people known as "red coats" are extremely willing to help you with whatever you need. I was excited to see the updated production that dated back to the 90s. The performance started out okay but we had difficulty hearing part of the opening scenes. Were it not for the fact I'm familiar with this production I would have been lost. Miss Saigon is an outstanding production of survival during the last days of the Vietnam war. We meet 17 year old Kim, forced to work in a bar run by the notorious Engineer-expertly played by Red Concepion. She meets and falls in love with Chris, an American GI but torn apart during the fall of Saigon. She, for 3 years tries to find her way back to him, who has no idea he has fathered a son. The story is heart-wrenching since one can only pity the fates of the mixed breed children as emphasized in the number "Bui doi." The songs are phenomenal but the best part is the use of special effects. The famous helicopter scene is recreated with such authenticity it makes you wonder how it is done. Along with a Chinese dragon and a Cadillac on stage, exceptional singing and solid acting, the show itself is definitely a 5 star rating in my opinion. The restrooms are in the basement right outside the doors leading into this theater but they have first floor handicapped facilities available. Since this theater sits behind the Connor Palace theater you can exit via a side door instead of waiting a long time once the show is over. That works if you have orchestra seats and you get out fairly quickly. The Keybank theater is one of many theaters which are all connected which is better known as Playhouse Square. Preshow talks are given in the "Allen" theater about an hour before showtime and in addition to a parking garage you can find street lots nearby as well as places to eat. With the exception of the cramped seating and some poor acoustics this theater hosts some of the finest productions I've seen during my visits here. Definitely recommend "Miss Saigon" if you are here or if it comes to your city. Take the time to check out the architecture and the beautiful murals in the long lobby from the 2nd floor food area. It's worth seeing if you have the time.

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    State Theatre
    State theater
    State theater
    Hell's Kitchen

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    Hell's Kitchen
    The Dinner Detective

    The Dinner Detective

    4.0
    (9 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    We recently hosted a murder mystery dinner with the actors of The Dinner Detective, and everything…read morewent perfectly! This was by far the most fun corporate event I have attended through all my years in business. The actors were phenomenal and thought of every little detail. There was very minimal that was needed from us as the business, which meant that all guests were able to participate and not worry about ensuring the evening went smoothly. I can't divulge the details of the murder, because I would hate to ruin it for anyone. Just know that it wasn't incredibly easy to solve, but ultimately many of us did get the correct culprit. The actors were more than I could have imagined. They did a fantastic job of getting all guests involved, and they made the evening highly entertaining. The gentleman that played the lead detective role was hilarious! I would definitely recommend attending an event at The Dinner Detective, or hiring them for your next event. Their advertisement said they do corporate events, parties, and even weddings! I can't imagine that, but I will say it would be a reception your guests would talk about for years to come!

    A birthday dinner gift from the hubby. I had fun though I guessed the wrong murderer considering he…read morewas right under my nose. But it was still much fun. My husband enjiyed his pork chops, my chicken piccata was rather bland (hence the 4 stars). The rest of the course was great, there was more than plenty of food. i would like to add that - the staff was in compliance with Social Distancing and Mask Wearing at all times as well.

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    Murder marker
    Murder marker
    Our packet
    Our packet
    The Dinner Detective

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    Allen Theatre - theater - Updated June 2026

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